Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs has announced the acquisition of Foodbytes, the global food and agriculture innovation platform founded by Rabobank, marking a significant step in expanding digital collaboration and innovation opportunities across the agri-food sector.
The acquisition was revealed at the ongoing VIV Europe 2026 at Jaarbeurs, where business executives convened to talk about the future of technology, food production, and agriculture.
Since its founding by Rabobank in 2015, Foodbytes has developed into a global platform that links corporations, entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators tackling some of the most important issues facing the sector. Through its internationally renowned VIV Worldwide event network, Jaarbeurs has been active in the agri-food industry for over 40 years, and the acquisition enhances that position.
Jeroen van Hooff claims that the inclusion of Foodbytes is consistent with Jaarbeurs’ approach of fusing live events with online interaction platforms.
“With Foodbytes, we are making a significant step forward in creating digital opportunities for our community in this sector,” Van Hooff said. “Live encounters are and will remain crucial, but Foodbytes allows us to expand our online offering with relevant meeting spaces for decision-makers, investors and entrepreneurs.”
He went on to say that the platform will offer insightful market information that can be disseminated throughout the food and agricultural sector, assisting companies in finding expansion prospects and bolstering innovation ecosystems.
The platform’s development is a significant accomplishment, according to Roland van der Vorst, who once oversaw Rabobank’s innovation initiatives and was in charge of starting Foodbytes.
“It is impressive how the Foodbytes team has grown from a physical event into a fully-fledged international digital innovation platform,” he said. “We are proud of what has been built and believe Foodbytes has even greater potential to grow beyond the confines of a strictly regulated financial institution.”
According to Van der Vorst, Jaarbeurs is in a strong position to assist the platform’s next stage of expansion, especially given its vast portfolio of international trade shows and business gatherings and its digital capabilities.
The acquisition is in line with a larger trend in the agri-food sector, where innovation platforms are becoming more and more crucial for bringing together investors, entrepreneurs, and established companies looking for answers to problems pertaining to food security, sustainability, climate resilience, and technological advancement.
Jaarbeurs hopes to strengthen the link between digital innovation and in-person networking by incorporating Foodbytes into its global ecosystem. This will give stakeholders year-round chances to work together, share knowledge, and hasten the adoption of new technologies throughout the food and agriculture value chain.
Both groups anticipate that Foodbytes will have an even bigger influence on the direction of global agri-food innovation as it embarks on a new chapter under Jaarbeurs’ management.
